Scottish Executive

Coalfields Regeneration Trust

Helen Eadie (Dunfermline East) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how much grant funding has been made available in Scotland through the Coalfields Regeneration Trust and whether any such funding is likely to increase in real terms in the next round of grant allocations.

Hugh Henry: The level of funding for the Coalfields Regeneration Trust in Scotland over the three years between 1999-2000 and 2001-02 was £4.5 million. Funding levels for 2002-03 and 2003-04 have been slightly increased, in that the Executive has committed a further £1.554 million to the trust this year and an indicative budget of £1.554 million for the next financial year.

Coalfields Regeneration Trust

Helen Eadie (Dunfermline East) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what projects in (a) Ballingry, (b) Cardenden, (c) Lochgelly, (d) Kelty and (e) Cowdenbeath have received funding from the Coalfields Regeneration Trust.

Hugh Henry: I understand that Ballingry, Cardenden, Lochgelly, Kelty, and Cowdenbeath are collectively known as the Benarty area locally. The Coalfields Regeneration Trust has funded the following projects within the Benarty area:

  Benarty Regeneration Action Group – BRAG Enterprises

  Benarty Self-Build Housing Group

  Lochgelly Brass Band

  Bowhill Bowling Club.

Council on Tribunals

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, with regard to the Scottish Committee of the Council on Tribunals' 16th Annual Report 2000-2001 and, in particular, to the committee's Special Report on Education Appeal Committees of June 2000 , what steps have been taken in order to ensure that its main recommendations in respect of (a) independence of the hearing venue, (b) difficulties for unrepresented appellants and (c) the need for committees' deliberations to be more structured with greater adherence to the provisions of the regulations are being implemented.

Nicol Stephen: The Scottish Executive will conduct a review of education appeal committees, and in this context, it will consider the Scottish Committee of the Council on Tribunals’ recommendations. Following that review, the Scottish Executive will consider implementation of these recommendations.

Dentistry

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether undergraduate and postgraduate medical and dental education programmes include infection control and anti-microbial prescribing.

Malcolm Chisholm: The standards for medical and dental education are set by the General Medical Council and the General Dental Council respectively and are therefore reserved. However, I am aware that both these topics are covered in both undergraduate and postgraduate training in medicine and dentistry.

Drug Misuse

Mr Mike Rumbles (West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive how much each health board spent on methadone prescriptions in each of the past three years.

Malcolm Chisholm: The figures in the following table refer to prescriptions dispensed in the community and do not take into account those dispensed by hospitals or hospital-based clinics.

  


 


Gross Ingredient Cost and Fees * 
  



1998-99 
  

1999-2000 
  

2000-01 
  



Ayrshire and Arran 
  

407,417 
  

496,298 
  

562,426 
  



Borders 
  

7,573 
  

8,254 
  

16,660 
  



Argyll and Clyde 
  

535,297 
  

836,349 
  

965,016 
  



Fife 
  

161,590 
  

242,425 
  

324,971 
  



Greater Glasgow 
  

2,416,153 
  

3,170,438 
  

3,799,698 
  



Highland 
  

21,935 
  

45,595 
  

74,799 
  



Lanarkshire 
  

203,101 
  

462,108 
  

615,484 
  



Grampian 
  

421,353 
  

696,543 
  

979,201 
  



Orkney 
  

116 
  

78 
  

146 
  



Lothian 
  

715,542 
  

884,961 
  

1,010,833 
  



Tayside 
  

415,858 
  

483,817 
  

525,760 
  



Forth Valley 
  

93,549 
  

114,749 
  

150,321 
  



Western Isles 
  

157 
  

190 
  

24 
  



Dumfries and Galloway 
  

70,754 
  

120,685 
  

133,852 
  



Shetland 
  

3,803 
  

3,358 
  

8, 032 
  



Total 
  

5,474,198 
  

7,565,848 
  

9,167,222 
  



  Note:

  *Fees include not only those paid for the dispensing of methadone but also those paid for supervising the taking of the dispensed methadone by the patient.

Enterprise

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what changes it will make to its policies or programmes in the light of the article by Henry McLeish MSP in Business AM on 9 May 2002 and, in particular, whether it plans to establish a "super-ministry" for enterprise.

Iain Gray: The Executive has set out a clear direction in A Smart, Successful Scotland and we will follow this. There are no plans for a super-ministry.

Fire Service

Michael Matheson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether the recommendations of the joint Scottish Executive and Brigades Purchasing Arrangements Working Group on the review of procurement within the fire service are publicly available; if so, in what format and, if not, what the reasons are for withholding these recommendations.

Dr Richard Simpson: The document produced by the Purchasing Arrangements Working Group is available on the Scottish Executive website at the following address:

  www.scotland.gov.uk/library5/justice/sfsbpp-00.asp.

Health

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what information is held on the extent of diagnosed or suspected diseases arising in children as a direct result of malnutrition.

Malcolm Chisholm: Acute illnesses, chronic or severe, can cause malnutrition. Information collected by the Information and Statistics Division of the Common Services Agency through the Scottish Morbidity Record, the Continuous Morbidity Record and child health surveillance identifies a condition, although not the cause of a condition.

  The following table shows the number of discharges over the four years to December 2001 for conditions where malnutrition is either specifically mentioned or where it is highly likely, excluding codes where the deficiency is more likely to be secondary to another condition.

  General Acute Hospital Discharges Involving a Diagnosis of Malnutrition, Under 15 Year-Olds, Scotland

  


 


Year End December 
  



Diagnosis (ICD10 code(s)) 
  

1998 
  

1999 
  

2000 
  

2001P




Malnutrition Total* 
  

49 
  

55 
  

45 
  

31 
  



Malnutrition (ICD10 E40-E46) 
  

11 
  

23 
  

13 
  

4 
  



Effects of Hunger (ICD10 T73.0) 
  

2 
  

- 
  

1 
  

- 
  



Other Nutritional Deficiencies 
(ICD10 E50- E63) 
  

21 
  

20 
  

20 
  

18 
  



Sequelae of Vitamin/Mineral/Other Deficiencies
(ICD10 E64.1-E64.9) 
  

- 
  

3 
  

3 
  

1 
  



Other Iron Deficiency Anaemia (ICD10 D50.8) 
  

15 
  

11 
  

8 
  

8 
  



  Source: ISD Scotland, SMR01.

  PProvisional.

  Notes:

  *The same patient may be counted in more than one disease category. The sum of the groups may exceed the total displayed.

Health

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how many NHS patients accessed private health care facilities in each of the last five years.

Malcolm Chisholm: The information requested is not available.

Health

Helen Eadie (Dunfermline East) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what progress has been made by the National Health Demonstration Project Programme.

Malcolm Chisholm: The National Health Demonstration Project Programme’s first Annual Report, entitled Learning to Make a Difference , has been produced. I am placing copies in the Parliament’s Reference Centre.

  The report summarises the demonstration projects’ early achievements and their future potential. It highlights that the projects are already generating useful, practical lessons and policy pointers.

Hospital-Acquired Infection

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what the difference is between a hospital-acquired infection and a health care associated infection.

Malcolm Chisholm: Health care associated infection is a more precise term than hospital-acquired infection. It recognises that many infections occur in health care settings other than hospitals. It also recognises that whilst many infections are acquired in hospital this is not always the case.

  The joint Health Department and NHS Scotland Working Group report on Managing the Risk of HAI (2001) used "health care associated infection" to reflect this assessment. The department along with the other UK Health Departments and public health agencies has also used this terminology because it reflects more accurately the scope of issues being addressed. The UK-wide use of the term facilitates the comparison of statistics related to these types of infection.

Hospital-Acquired Infection

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what action is taken when a hospital is found not to meet infection control standards.

Malcolm Chisholm: A great deal of action is already being taken on infection control. When the Clinical Standards Boards for Scotland publishes reports on individual hospitals the Scottish Executive will ensure that appropriate action is taken by the NHS trusts concerned.

Hospital-Acquired Infection

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what action is being taken to ensure that there is documentary evidence of a structured infection control programme in each hospital.

Malcolm Chisholm: Standard 5 of the Clinical Standards Boards for Scotland (CSBS) Infection Control Standards requires trusts to produce annual infection control programmes. Documentary evidence of this will be required by CSBS during their peer review visits to establish whether trusts are meeting the standard.

Hospital-Acquired Infection

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what action is being taken to ensure that all NHS trusts’ infection control programmes include an audit of infection control policies, procedures and guidelines.

Malcolm Chisholm: Standard 5 of the Infection Control Standard requires the Infection Control Programme to include reference to audit of the implementation of, and compliance with, selected infection control policies, procedures and guidelines. Documentary evidence of this will be required by Clinical Standards Boards for Scotland during their peer review visits to establish whether trusts are meeting the requirement.

Hospital-Acquired Infection

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether the Clinical Standards Board for Scotland’s report on health care associated infection peer review visits due in January 2003 will outline the extent of infection in every NHS hospital.

Malcolm Chisholm: The Clinical Standards Board for Scotland report will detail for each NHS trust in Scotland whether their performance meets the infection control standards required. The incidence of selected health care associated infection is being measured through the new surveillance arrangements led by the Scottish Centre for Infection and Environmental Health.

Hospital-Acquired Infection

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether patients can claim compensation for problems arising from hospital-acquired infection.

Malcolm Chisholm: It is open to any patient to claim compensation where they consider that they have suffered in some way as a result of their NHS treatment. However, compensation is payable only where the health care provider accepts that the injury arose following an act of negligence on their part.

Listed Buildings

Mr Murray Tosh (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive when it will issue a decision on listed building application South Ayrshire 01/00767/LBC (Frognal House, Troon) and whether the time taken to reach a decision accords with Historic Scotland’s targets for determining such applications.

Dr Elaine Murray: I have asked Graeme Munro, Chief Executive of Historic Scotland, to answer. His response is as follows:

  Historic Scotland continues to meet its Key Performance Target to resolve 97% of consent casework notified by planning authorities to it under the requirements of the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) (Scotland) Act 1997 within a period of 28 days. However, some applications raise issues which require further consideration and consultation with those involved. This has been the case with the listed building consent application for works at Frognal House. I can confirm that we have now received all the further information requested and expect to conclude our consideration of this case very shortly.

MMR Vaccine

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether any immunopathological studies have been carried out to establish whether a pathogenic factor can be identified in those children who react adversely to the triple MMR vaccine and, if not, whether it will fund such studies in order to assist in identifying a means of predicting which children are likely to react adversely to the vaccine.

Malcolm Chisholm: Adverse reactions known to be associated with combined measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccines and contraindications for MMR are listed in the product information for the MMR products. These are also described in the report of the MMR Expert Group as well as in  Immunisation Against Infectious Disease , published by the health departments, and are detailed in materials for parents, such as The MMR discussion pack . In many cases, as with most medicines and vaccines, the risk factors for the development of adverse reactions to MMR vaccine are not known.

  The safety of MMR vaccines is kept under continuous review by the Medicines Control Agency (MCA) and the Committee on Safety of Medicines (CSM). Any new research that may emerge in relation to possible immunopathological risk factors for adverse reactions to MMR vaccines would be carefully reviewed by the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation, MCA, and CSM.

  The MMR Expert Group recently recommended that the Scottish Executive and the Medical Research Council (MRC) should work together to drive forward and fund, as appropriate, the full research agenda outlined in the final chapter of the MRC Review of Autism Research. My response to question S1W-25472 on 30 April 2002 made clear that the Executive accepts that recommendation and will also work with researchers in Scotland to develop proposals for innovative, high quality research to underpin improvements in treatment and care for people with autistic spectrum disorder.

NHS Waiting Times

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether all GPs and consultants in the NHS have access to the National Waiting Times database and whether all patients waiting for surgery are given the option to choose a hospital with the shortest waiting times.

Malcolm Chisholm: The National Waiting Times database currently being developed is to provide general practitioners, consultants, patients and the public with readily accessible, accurate and up-to-date information on hospital waiting times throughout Scotland. We intend that patients will be able to choose to be treated at a hospital where they will have a shorter wait.

Planning

Helen Eadie (Dunfermline East) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many times the Inquiry Reporters Unit has overruled Fife Council in respect of west area planning department matters in each of the last two years.

Hugh Henry: During the period 1 April 2000 to 31 March 2001, where an appeal was received against the refusal of an application for planning permission, or against conditions imposed on a grant of permission, the Scottish Executive Inquiry Reporters Unit allowed seven out of a total of 28 appeals received in respect of developments proposed in the west area of Fife Council.

  During the period 1 April 2001 to 31 March 2002, where an appeal was received against the refusal of an application, the Scottish Executive Inquiry Reporters Unit allowed four out of a total of 15 appeals within the same area. There were no appeals received against conditions during this period.

  These statistics demonstrate that decisions made by the west area of Fife Council were upheld in 75% and 73% of cases respectively in the two years concerned, against a national average of around 70%.

Planning

David Mundell (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive when it expects to make a decision on the planning application referred to it by Dumfries and Galloway Council for the conversion of the proposed Visitor Centre into retail space by Gretna Gateway Outlet Village.

Hugh Henry: The planning application was received by the Scottish ministers on 2 May 2002 and is currently under consideration. The target for deciding whether a case should be called in for determination by the Scottish ministers is that 80% should be decided within 28 days and the remainder within two months.

Prison Service

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-23835 by Mr Jim Wallace on 29 April 2002, what is offered to prisoners with drug and alcohol problems through needs-based individualised care planning and how many prisoners are currently receiving such care planning.

Mr Jim Wallace: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:

  The Scottish Prison Service offers addiction services to prisoners with the exception of sex offenders whose broader needs are dealt with in other ways. An assessment is completed for each prisoner. Clients can be referred at admission or at any time during their sentence. The covers health, finance, housing, education and employment. Following client assessment a multi-disciplinary case conference/care planning process evolves involving the client. Addiction teams are multi-disciplinary. The care plan is reviewed and monitored as the client progresses through their sentence. Prior to release transitional care for those serving less than four years becomes a priority. Transitional care action planning and case conferencing commences to establish an individual plan prior to the clients release back in to the community. Figures for March and April 2002 show that 1,524 prisoners have been offered an individual assessment with 1,224 prisoners taking up the service.

Prison Service

Brian Fitzpatrick (Strathkelvin and Bearsden) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what the latest projections are of the prison population.

Mr Jim Wallace: The latest projections of the prison population, which were prepared in April 2002, are given in the following table. The projections are almost identical to those prepared in September 2001 and published in Appendix F of the Scottish Prison Service Estates Review (March 2002). These latest projections were published in an Scottish Prison Service News Release on 1 May 2002.

  The underlying trend for the majority of categories of sentenced receptions follows that displayed for the past 10 to 18 years. The average daily prison population continues to rise and has recently reached an all-time high on 30 April of 6,610. The trend analysis suggests an increase in some short-term prisoner population categories and an upturn in the remand population. There has also been a marginal increase in the long-term prisoner population. These trends have been extrapolated into the projections provided.

  The current projections do not include the impact of Scottish Executive policy as it is difficult to factor in the possible results of extending non-custodial alternatives. Whilst these are expected to reduce the numbers given custodial sentences, they will mainly provide alternatives to short-term prison sentences and therefore have a much greater impact upon reception numbers than on the average daily prison population.

  Prison Population Projections Prepared in April 2002 and September 2001

  

 

April 2002 
  

September 2001 
  

Difference 
  



2001-02 
  

6,200 
  

6,200 
  

0 
  



2002-03 
  

6,300 
  

6,400 
  

-100 
  



2003-04 
  

6,500 
  

6,500 
  

0 
  



2004-05 
  

6,700 
  

6,700 
  

0 
  



2005-06 
  

6,800 
  

6,900 
  

-100 
  



2006-07 
  

7,000 
  

7,000 
  

0 
  



2007-08 
  

7,200 
  

7,200 
  

0 
  



2008-09 
  

7,300 
  

7,400 
  

-100 
  



2009-10 
  

7,500 
  

7,500 
  

0 
  



2010-11 
  

7,700 
  

7,700 
  

0

Public Sector

Elaine Thomson (Aberdeen North) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what interoperability standards it has set out for the public sector.

Mr Andy Kerr: We have today published the revised Information Age Government Framework . The framework covers a number of areas including technical and data standards, access, authentication, data protection and data sharing, electronic record management and skills. It contains details of an approach including a set of common standards which we expect to see adopted for information and communications technology applications in the public sector in Scotland. Common standards are vital if we are to achieve interoperability and ensure that new technologies are harnessed to maximum effect to deliver more convenient, joined-up, responsive and efficient public services in Scotland.

  We also intend to establish a standards supervisory group to ensure new standards are brought into the framework and that changes and additions to the framework are suitably publicised.

  Copies of the framework have been placed in the Parliament’s Reference Centre, and it is also available on the 21st Century Government website.

Renewable Energy

Linda Fabiani (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what environmental assessment is required before planning permission for a wind farm is granted and whether such assessment includes a flood risk assessment.

Hugh Henry: Wind farms of over 50 mega watts capacity require consent from the Scottish ministers under section 36 of the Electricity Act 1989. In granting consent under this procedure planning permission is deemed to be granted. Wind farms of smaller capacity require planning permission from the relevant planning authority under the Town and Country Planning (Scotland) Act 1997.

  The electricity consent procedures and the planning permission procedures have associated formal environmental impact assessment (EIA) requirements contained in the Electricity Works (Assessment of Environmental Effects) (Scotland) Regulations 2000 and the Environmental Impact Assessment (Scotland) Regulations 1999 respectively.

  The information required to be included in the environmental statement associated with an EIA will depend on the particular circumstances of each case. Prior to seeking consent or planning permission, a developer may approach the competent authority (either the Scottish ministers or the planning authority) to seek an opinion on the scope of the environmental statement.

  Where an application for planning permission is involved, aside from the formal EIA procedures, planning authorities also have powers to require the submission of further information necessary to determine the application. This can include information on, for example, environmental issues, flood risk or traffic impact.

Scottish Executive Ministers

Tricia Marwick (Mid Scotland and Fife) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether a lump sum payment was paid to Mr Frank McAveety when he ceased to be a junior minister and, if so, how much the payment was.

Mr Andy Kerr: Yes. A lump sum was paid to Mr Frank McAveety in accordance with Article 6 of The Scotland Act 1998 (Transitory and Transitional Provisions) (Grants to Members and Officeholders) Order 1999.

Scottish Executive Staff

Andrew Wilson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether its salary scales for staff are equivalent to the salary scales of employees of the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body (SPCB) in comparable grades; what the reasons are behind any difference in the salary scales, and what action it intends to take to redress any such difference.

Mr Andy Kerr: The Scottish Executive and the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body are separate and distinct bodies. There is therefore no requirement for them to have similar pay ranges for their staff. In the case of the Scottish Executive the values of pay ranges are set at a level which enables the Executive to recruit, retain and motivate staff to perform the duties required of them effectively and which is affordable. The pay arrangements in the SPCB are a matter for that body.

Scottish Executive Staff

Andrew Wilson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many staff it currently employs aged 60 years or over.

Mr Andy Kerr: The Scottish Executive and its agencies currently employs 248 staff aged 60 or over.

Scottish Natural Heritage

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has issued any directions to Scottish Natural Heritage under the Natural Heritage (Scotland) Act 1991; if so, whether it will specify under what the circumstances each such direction was issued and provide a copy of the direction as issued in each case; if no such directions have been issued, what the reasons are for the position on this matter, and what its policy is on the use of such directions.

Allan Wilson: Ministers have not issued any directions to Scottish Natural Heritage under the 1991 act. It is standard practice for executive non-departmental public bodies to be subject to directions given by the relevant minister, but this is regarded as a power of last resort. The Strategic Framework in place (Management Statement, Financial Memorandum and conditions attached to the annual Grant-In-Aid letters) has proved more than adequate for the effective discharge of SNH’s statutory functions.

Scottish Natural Heritage

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is appropriate that Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) should be landowners; whether such ownership may create conflicts of interest in relation to the SNH's duties, and, if so, what steps it will take in respect of this matter, with particular regard to the ownership of the Island of Rum by SNH.

Allan Wilson: In terms of section 2(1)(g) of the Natural Heritage (Scotland) Act 1991 Scottish Natural Heritage is empowered to acquire, hold and dispose of land or any interest in or right over land. Most land owned by SNH consists of areas designated as National Nature Reserves. In these cases, ownership of land can enhance SNH’s ability to manage and protect important areas of high natural heritage value, taking into account, as required by section 3(1)(f) of the 1991 act, the interests of local communities.

Social Inclusion

Mr Kenny MacAskill (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what funds have been made available (a) directly or (b) indirectly to the Craigmillar Partnership in each year since 1997.

Hugh Henry: The Craigmillar Partnership has received indirect funding from the Scottish Executive since 1997 from the Social Inclusion Partnership (SIP) Fund. The City of Edinburgh Council as grant recipient, accepts the resources allocated on their behalf. Direct funding from the Scottish Executive since 1997 to the Craigmillar Partnership was made available for CCTV. The details of both indirect and direct funding are as follows:

  

 

1997-98
(£ million) 
  

1998-99
(£ million) 
  

1999-2000
(£ million) 
  

2000-01
(£ million) 
  

2001-02
(£ million) 
  

2002-03
(£ million) 
  



SIP Fund Allocation 
  

2.337 
  

2.201 
  

1.723 
  

1.723 
  

1.916 
  

1.970 
  



CCTV 
  

- 
  

- 
  

- 
  

- 
  

0.096 
  

-

Young People

Nora Radcliffe (Gordon) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive how it intends to ensure that locally accessible youth work and support provision is available to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender young people throughout Scotland.

Nora Radcliffe (Gordon) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive how it intends to ensure that YouthLink Scotland and other publicly-funded organisations will develop youth work provision targeted at, and accessible to, lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender young people.

Hugh Henry: YouthLink Scotland will be undertaking a mapping exercise in the coming year to establish what youth work provision exists for all young people across Scotland. The Executive and others will be able to use this information to inform future policy on youth work.

Young People

Nora Radcliffe (Gordon) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what policies and plans it has to reduce the incidence of suicide and self-harm among lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender young people who may be having difficulty coming to terms with their sexual orientation or gender identity.

Malcolm Chisholm: In October 2001, I launched the Executive's consultation document, a National Framework for the Prevention of Suicide and Deliberate Self-Harm in Scotland . The framework aims to guide action to address suicide and deliberate self-harm. We received over 140 responses to the consultation document, including a number from lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender organisations. The responses to the consultation are currently being analysed and will inform the development of the final version of the framework, which I hope to launch later this year.